A bloody night at the mansion: who murdered Samarkand entrepreneur Shomurod Nurmamatov?

Who is Shomurod Nurmamatov?

Shomurod Nurmamatov was one of the wealthiest individuals in Samarkand. Many knew him as an entrepreneur who achieved success "from scratch" and as a generous person. Those who knew him personally remember him as a wise, forward-thinking, and enterprising individual.

Being one of ten children in the family, Shomurod Nurmamatov grew up in the Pastdargom district. In 1997-1998, he founded a company and opened a gas station that sold liquefied gas.

Gradually, he expanded his business, and in 2006-2007, he purchased a house in the "Bukhori" neighborhood of the Samarkand district and moved there. This large mansion matched his financial capabilities.

The entrepreneur lived in this house with his wife Gulzoda Mamirova, while their children studied in Tashkent.

By 2013, Shomurod Nurmamatov owned several gas stations, a banquet hall, and other assets, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in the region.

Food Not Given to the Bear

In 2009, the entrepreneur opened the "Shermamat ota" banquet hall in the Pastdargom district. A certain Feruz was appointed as the manager, and a young man named Rokat became his assistant.

Rokat had long assisted Shomurod Nurmamatov with household chores: supervising workers, running errands, and taking care of a bear kept in the yard of the house. On days when there were no events at the banquet hall, he would stay overnight at the entrepreneur's house, where he was treated like a son.

On October 13, 2013, around noon, the businessman’s wife Gulzoda Mamirova arrived at the banquet hall for an inspection. Before leaving, she told Rokat, "Today, Shomurod aka and I are going to Tashkent to see the kids; at 16:00, go home and stay there to watch over the house." The young man arrived at the specified time, and the owners went to the capital, asking him to be extra vigilant.

Around 19:00 that same day, Shomurod Nurmamatov called Rokat: "Do you understand surveillance cameras? Someone has been photographing the house; check the recordings and let me know." Rokat checked the archive but found no unfamiliar individuals near the house in the recordings.

On October 17, the entrepreneur and his wife returned from Tashkent, and Rokat resumed his duties at the banquet hall.

In his house, Shomurod Nurmamatov kept a bear. Gulzoda Mamirova, who regularly checked on the work at the banquet hall, would typically bring leftover meat and other food for the animal.

On October 21, there was a celebration at the restaurant, but the owner did not attend. The next morning, on October 22, Rokat asked Feruz to take food for the bear to the entrepreneur's house and handed him the keys.

Feruz arrived at the mansion but could not open the gate and called Rokat: "The door won't open; I’m knocking—no one is answering." Rokat immediately headed to the house. Taking the keys from Feruz, he tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge—there was a key inserted from the inside.

Rokat then climbed over the fence from the neighboring house and entered through the terrace. At the gate, he saw Shomurod Nurmamatov lying on the ground. Next to him was a metal safe with its door open.

Rokat opened the gate, and the young men decided to check the surveillance camera recordings, but it turned out that the processor of the video surveillance system was missing.

The Criminal Plan

The plan to rob wealthy residents of Samarkand using violence was developed in St. Petersburg long before the crime was committed.

The leader of the criminal group was Abdunazar Beknazarov. Others included Mirergash Mamatkulov, Yunus Ernapasov, Ulmas Khalikov, and a certain Doniyor.

While working in Russia, they fell under Beknazarov's influence and formed a religious "jamaat." Upon returning to Samarkand, they decided to seize the property of wealthy individuals through robbery and murder, directing the proceeds toward "jihad."

On October 9, 2013, Abdunazar Beknazarov and Mirergash Mamatkulov arrived in Samarkand by train. Soon, all group members gathered in a rented apartment, where they finalized their crime plan. They armed themselves with a taser, a knife, and a baseball bat.

Two Failed Attempts

Initially, the criminals intended to attack two individuals—a farmer named Ilkhom and a bank employee named Sobir.

On the evenings of October 11 and 12, they arrived at Sobir's house, planning to kill him and rob him. However, their plans were thwarted: on the first occasion, a passerby appeared, and on the second, neighbors got into a loud quarrel.

After this, the group decided to target the farmer. They headed to his land, hoping to intercept him there. But on that day, the farmer, who usually came to the field daily, did not show up.

Thus, both attempts were unsuccessful.

The Nanny Turned "Agent"

After the failed attempts to commit an attack, one of the group members, Yunus Ernapasov, informed his accomplices that he knew a wealthy man named Shomurod. He revealed that his niece Maftuna Ernapasova had previously worked as a nanny in the entrepreneur's house.

Maftuna indeed periodically looked after Shomurod Nurmamatov's younger daughter. She was hired at his restaurant and later, at Gulzoda Mamirova's request, began helping with household tasks. This allowed the girl to become familiar with the layout of the rooms, the places where the owners slept, and the location of the safe.

Yunus Ernapasov asked his niece about all the details and sketched a plan of the house. Thus, Maftuna Ernapasova became part of the criminal group.

The Bloody Night in the Mansion

The criminals monitored Shomurod Nurmamatov's house for several days, studying possible entry points and the placement of surveillance cameras.

On the evening of October 19, 2013, they arrived at the entrepreneur's house, armed with a taser, a bat, and a knife. However, one of them, Doniyor, encountered a stranger, struck up a conversation, and the crime had to be postponed.

The next day, on October 20, around 22:00, Abdunazar Beknazarov and Mirergash Mamatkulov returned to the house. They called Yunus Ernapasov but did not invite Ulmas Khalikov, as he was far away, and Doniyor did not answer the call.

Thus, only three participated in the robbery—Beknazarov, Mamatkulov, and Ernapasov. They pulled black hats over their faces and, after midnight, entered the yard through the grape trellis.

Abdunazar Beknazarov usually wore glasses, but that night he used contact lenses instead.

As soon as the criminals entered the yard, a car drove up to the house. A man and a woman got out and entered without noticing anything suspicious.

Maftuna Ernapasova informed the criminals that Rokat, who helped Shomurod Nurmamatov with household chores, usually slept in the room near the gates. Therefore, Mirergash Mamatkulov headed there, while Abdunazar Beknazarov and Yunus Ernapasov went to the bedroom. However, that night Rokat stayed overnight at the restaurant, and only the entrepreneur and his wife were in the house.

Upon entering the bedroom, Abdunazar Beknazarov attempted to strike Shomurod Nurmamatov with the taser on his neck, but the device malfunctioned. The businessman woke up, jumped out of bed, and punched the attacker. The blow caused one of Beknazarov's lenses to fall out, and he then fell through the window into the yard. Shomurod Nurmamatov chased